Sigur Ros

This Icelandic phenomenon almost filled the Brighton Centre, a remarkable achievement for a band that were earmarked for cult status as opposed to mainstream success, perhaps because of the largely unintelligible and impregnable lyricism of the band. But, with their stock rising immeasurably due to the ubiquitous use of their music for soundtracking purposes (as well as their fortune-spinning cameo on The Simpsons…), Sigur Ros continue to pour their heart and soul into their live shows, a carefully crafted audio-visual experience that serves to further mystify and enigmatise the band. But, you have to really like Jon Por Birgisson’s falsetto voice, which can be overplayed when sometimes only the constantly swelling orchestral music will do, and you have to like the abstract nature of the visuals which are, like the music, constantly alluding to something, but you’re never quite sure what… But, they are an uniquely powerful band, creators of music, visuals and atmospherics that are at times mesmerising.

Brighton Centre, 20 November 2013

Rating: